Edgar Wright biography

Born in Dorset, England, Edgar Wright's first feature length film as a writer and director was Fistful of Fingers (1994), a spoof of westerns whose tagline read: "The greatest western ever made...in Somerset." He was just 20 years old at the time, and although the film was made on an absurdly low budget with the help of friends from college, it was shown on Sky Movies (a British TV subscription network) and even had a limited theatrical release. That led to him signing with a London agency, and soon after, he landed a job directing the TV sketch comedy series Mash and Peas for the Paramount Comedy Channel. He next co-wrote and directed comedians Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson in the series Asylum before moving to the BBC, where he directed series such as Is It Bill Bailey?, Merry-Go-Round, French and Saunders and Sir Bernard's Stately Homes.

He teamed up again with Pegg and Stevenson for the Channel 4 TV series Spaced, with the two comedic actors writing and starring in the sitcom while Wright directed. The show was an immediate hit and received both BAFTA and British Comedy Award nominations. Renewed for a second series, it received BAFTA and International Emmy award nominations.

Pegg and Wright then co-wrote the feature film Shaun of the Dead (2004), a romantic zombie comedy. Wright also directed, while Pegg played the lead role of Shaun. Though shot in England, the film was released around the world, in countries such as Canada, Belgium, Holland, Australia, Poland, Italy, Norway and the United States.